


Home Is Where the Heart Is

by hunters_retreat



Series: The Home Verse [1]
Category: CW Network RPF, Supernatural RPF
Genre: IN SPACE!, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2010-12-25
Updated: 2010-12-25
Packaged: 2018-01-06 13:18:43
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,769
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/1107320
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/hunters_retreat/pseuds/hunters_retreat
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Where Jensen is the smartest man in the universe but has the social skills of a gnat.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Home Is Where the Heart Is

**Author's Note:**

  * For [goddamnbatman](https://archiveofourown.org/users/goddamnbatman/gifts).
  * Translation into Русский available: [Дом там, где сердце](https://archiveofourown.org/works/3272894) by [J_Squared (Wincent_Cester)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Wincent_Cester/pseuds/J_Squared), [Маленькая сосна (Small_pine)](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Small_pine/pseuds/%D0%9C%D0%B0%D0%BB%D0%B5%D0%BD%D1%8C%D0%BA%D0%B0%D1%8F%20%D1%81%D0%BE%D1%81%D0%BD%D0%B0)



“So it’s true then. You don’t house the Gifted in a different part of the space station?”

Misha Collins, the administrator of the facility nodded as they continued to walk through the central community area. They were in a large garden, soft grass crunching under his feet as they moved through small trees and flowering bushes. It gave a small feeling of home and he understood the comfort such a small thing could give.

“We’ve found that separating the Gifted from the general community makes them unapproachable. We prefer a more inclusive approach to our research and studies.” Collins sighed and looked up the full 6’5” of him and smiled softly. “You understand the Gifted tend to segregate themselves well enough when it comes to social gatherings without us putting added barriers.”

He’d heard about it, of course. As the newest of the Gifted to come aboard the space station, Jared Padalecki had done his fair bit of research. Someone with his particular gift was in demand and one of the factors that had tipped his hat in favor of this station had been the idea of getting to walk among the others.

“In fact, there are a few of the Gifted on the ship who have chosen not to identify themselves. We make it possible for them by giving a simple disclosure in the initial paperwork. You signed one as well, a notice that said that any person you interacted with could be one of the Gifted and that we do not require them to announce themselves if they don’t want to.”

Jared nodded. “500 crew, with 15% being Gifted. That’s an extremely high mix.”

Collins nodded. “It is, but this facility has a number of accommodations that factor high in its selection, as well as the variety of research and activities going on here at the space station.” The administrator looked at him and smiled. “But I’m sure you know that from your own research.”

Jared nodded and found himself walking in silence beside the other man. It was comfortable, companionable even. Everything in the reports said that Misha Collins was not only a good administrator, but a good person as well. He lobbied for Gifted Rights and for the importance of planetary awareness, he fought for stricter controls in the hands of the scientific community in regards to ecological systems that corporate miners and politicians would destroy with their short sighted ‘need to have it now’ attitude. He believed in his work and he made the life of the people working with him easier.

Collins stopped at a door and thumbed it open. “Just press your thumb there and control of the office will be yours.” Jared did as he asked, then entered the large office space. A spacious desk sat opposite the door, two chairs in front of it for clients. There was a bookcase on one side that was filled with his books. They’d been sent ahead of him by a few weeks and he was glad to see they’d made the journey, even if he had already received the confirmation of arrival a week prior. 

“You can get settled in tomorrow,” Collins said as he moved to the door. “It was closest and I just wanted to show you where it was. Let me show you to your new quarters.”

As much as he would have liked to stay and take a closer look at everything he was too tired and he wanted to see the living space he’d been allotted. “So most of the staff here is long term,” Jared prompted as they walked out of his office. 

It wasn’t a question but an opening and the administrator took it as that. “It’s all location,” he said with a smile. “We’re the furthest scientific station away from Earth. It makes a great location for cosmologists, physicists, astronomers, and every subcategory within it. We have mathematicians and health professionals, and a representative of every major branch of religion on Earth. We also have the widest assortment of Gifted in the Universe. We have medipaths and telekinetics, transporters and empaths. We have Gifted that we don’t have a name for yet.”

“It must be a challenge keeping everyone happy,” Jared commented as they walked.

Collins turned to look at him as he stopped before a closed door. “Your hours don’t start for two days,” he said with a smile, “and I expect you to get settled in before you start working.”

Jared gave an embarrassed smile and shrugged. “Occupational and Gifted hazard, I can’t help but ask.”

“Thumb,” he said, nodding to the door panel and Jared realized they were at his quarters. “These are more heavily shielded than the others but the dampeners in your quarters can be adjusted if you want to feel more of what is around you.”

“Thank you.”

“We learned the hard way to make sure empaths could control the amount of access they had to the world around them. Too much or too little can drive some of them mad.”

Jared nodded, well aware of what it felt like to have too much contact with the crew. The other end of the spectrum though, the complete lack of touch was almost devastating to someone like him. He was trained to handle it, but it didn’t make it comfortable.

“There’s a map on your desktop so you can find your way around and your communications link has a position map and guidance system as well,” he continued as Jared walked past him into the room.

It was pale blue with green and small amount of yellow trim. He approved of the colors, knowing how something small like chromottherapy could be effective in an environment like that. The front room was lightly furnished with a couch and large vid screen across from it. At the back was a short wall and the kitchenette sat on the other side. A two person table sat on the other side of the wall. He opened the door of the fridge and smiled to see it was already stocked with the favorites he’d passed along. 

“Does everything seem in order?”

Jared smiled as he closed the door and took a deep breath. “Yeah, everything looks good.”

“Then I’ll leave you to settle in. If you prefer not to cook, the food court is always open, though the offering vary at different times of the day. I’ll expect a report when you start work, showing that everything you sent has been accounted for and to see if there is anything else we can have transported out for you.”

Jared nodded as he stepped back into the main room, offering his hand to Collins. “I’ll have it in first thing. And thank you for the welcome.”

The man smiled and Jared was aware that he had a stunning smile. “I look forward to working with you Empath Padalecki.”

“Jared, please.”

“Jared,” he said with a nod. “Please call me Misha. And I’ll see you in two days.”

Jared nodded and watched as the door closed between them. It was probably a good thing the man was already married, he thought as he turned away from the door. Having to work closely with the man put romance out of the question regardless, but it was easier to remember that when there was a spouse involved and from what little Jared had picked up from the other man he was utterly devoted to his wife and the station with an equal degree of veracity. 

He put thoughts of Misha from his mind and found the doors to the bathroom and bedroom. The room was dominated by a monster of a bed and he smiled as he threw himself down on it. The trip had been long and arduous as space travel always was and he was happy enough to sleep the rest of the day away and start fresh in the morning.

**

He ate breakfast in his new kitchen, thankful that someone had stocked him with some simple cinnamon rolls that could be quickly and painlessly thrown in the baker and chimed out to warm perfection. A cup of strong coffee with just a hint of sugar to ease the bitterness and he was ready to face the world. Or the space station actually.

He headed to his new office, making sure he remembered the route. He made it there without trouble and started setting everything up as he liked it, his computer and files and even the books in the bookcase. It didn’t take too long to get settled in his office and he found himself outside, two hours later, wondering how to fill his day. 

He decided to take a walk and find the main part of the complex where the food court and most of the recreational facilities were. His office was just off the main path in the professional health complex. On the other end was another housing complex and to its left was the large walkway that led to the scientific communities.

He found everything as he thought it would be and made a note of a promising running path in the central gardens he’d walked through the night before. He enjoyed starting his day out with a run, letting his mind slowly work its way out from himself to the people around him.

He was back in his quarters for lunch and began rearranging things to his liking, loading his vid screen with his favorite movies, music, and programming and unpacking the few things the crew hadn’t taken care of for him. 

When it was time for dinner he pulled on a good pair of jeans and a nice shirt, a blue button down his sister had given him as a congratulations gift when he got the job, and headed back to the restaurants at the food court. At that time of night they were all crowded and that was what Jared had been looking for. He officially started working in the morning, but he’d like to be able to meet with Misha and tell him what he thought of the crew's overall morale. He preferred to keep in depth observations about that sort of thing, allowing himself to go back from time to time to update about general perceptions or specific incidents as he found them applicable to the overall mental health of the crew.

He looked up and down the restaurants and finally slipped into one that looked interesting; loud and energetic but with a lot of laughter instead of the high levels of inebriation he felt from the clientele of a few of the others. He was all for a few drinks tonight, but a drunken bar brawl wasn’t what he had in mind. The station looked down on that sort of behavior of course, but they were light years from home and everyone needed to let off a little steam now and then.

Jared lucked out as a seat opened up at the bar as he was passing by. He slid in and ordered a dark beer from the bartender before tapping the tabletop in front of him to load up the menu. It opened immediately but phased out on him.

“Sorry, that’s me,” the guy beside him said. He dropped his hand to it and Jared looked up in time to see the green of his eyes suddenly dancing with movement. It took a moment to recognize what it was, but then he just nodded. A technopath. “Fixed,” the guy said taking his hand back.

Jared smiled. “Thanks. I’m Jared.”

The guy looked at him. “You must be new.”

“Yeah, I came in with the supplies last night.” The guy nodded but took a long pull of his beer bottle without saying anything. “So do I get your name?”

“Some of us don’t like to work with non-Gifted.”

“Really? Why is that?” Jared asked. It was sort of refreshing, not having to disclose that he was an empath. 

“Bad PR man. Even though I can’t make you do shit there are plenty of people who still don’t get that a technopath is not a telepath. No sir, in fact I didn’t make your son gay and no I didn’t make him sleep with me.” He sneered. “Some of us like to keep to our own.”

“Well at least I don’t have to ask for your preferences.” His bluntness was oddly endearing. He knew a lot of the Gifted preferred to live in their own communities but he hadn’t expected to find anyone like that on the ship, not when its drawing attraction was the inclusion policies.

The guy snorted. “Jensen Ackles, technopath or schizophrenic genius, depends on who you’re talking to.”

“Nice to meet you Jensen,” he said without offering to shake hands. A few minutes later both their meals arrived and they ate in companionable silence. Jensen finished first and he cleared the stool, nodding to Jared as he left. “See you around Jared.”

“You too Jensen.” He felt like he’d been rung through the ringer by that time, his nerves on edge in a way he didn’t know and had never felt before. He brushed it off to nervous energy and decided to take his beer and check out the rest of the place. There was a dance floor after all, some good music, and he had some energy to burn.

**

Time moved quickly in his first few weeks. He had client files to learn and even in the first few days he had a busy schedule, taking up the slack from the other psychologist who was stationed there. Jeff Morgan was larger than life, with a smile that could melt a comet’s tail, and Jared had spent more than one night in the first month laughing with Jeff and his young wife Alona. An odd match, but Alona was a hydrokinetic and had been on her way to termination from the station when Jeff had arrived. She was the strongest water worker Jared had ever heard of but she had been ungrounded. A month after she met Jeff she was suddenly in complete control of her abilities and was one of the most reliable of their Gifted. 

They were sitting in a corner booth at Alona’s favorite bar, the Starfire, having drinks and she laughed as she swirled the wine in her glass. Her long blond hair spilled over her shoulder and Jeff brushed it back as she looked over at him.

“Sometimes, it just happens like that. I didn’t realize I needed grounding but when I met Jeff I couldn’t think of anything else until I talked to him again.”

Jeff laughed. “And I hardly remembered our first meeting, except knowing there was this cute blond that was way too young and way to good for me.”

Jared watched with a small amount of envy. He wasn’t one of those people who were constantly on the look out for ‘the one’, but he couldn’t deny the idea of settling down, of having someone to sleep next to every night wasn’t appealing. 

“Now if we could just find that for Jensen my life would be perfect,” Alona said, kissing Jeff softly. “He’d been worse than usually lately.”

“Jensen?”

“Jensen Ackles.” Jeff informed him. “Did they warn you about him?”

“No. I met him my first week here though.”

“Really? Where?”

“Just some bar getting dinner. I sat next to him at the counter and he kind of introduced himself.”

“He did?” Alona seemed surprised by that and Jared smiled softly at the memory of the meeting. It hadn’t been the oddest of his meetings with one of the Gifted but it was certainly his most blunt.

“Well I had to force it a little. After he told me he didn’t like to associate with non-Gifted.”

“You didn’t tell him who you were?”

“I didn’t get out more than my name before he threw that out at me.”

Alona tilted her head back and laughed. “It’s a good thing that boys so pretty or he’d never get laid.” She took a sip of her wine but Jared could feel the fondness that emanated from her. “Jensen has the best mind on the ship, but he has the social skills of a gnat.”

Jared and Jeff both laughed at that. “So is that what I should have been warned about?”

“Oh no,” Jeff said with a grin. “I figure all the Gifted have their quirks and you just gotta learn to roll with it. But the thing with Jensen is that sure he’s a technopath, but its not just that he can read inside the machines and make them do what he wants. They don’t have a category for his real talent.”

“I think that’s why he prefers to be around the Gifted. They don’t ask him to try to explain it.”

“What is it then?”

“You know how they say the most advanced computers in the world are the human mind? That’s Jensen. It’s not that Jensen can make a computer do what he wants, it’s that Jensen outthinks the computers at every turn. He rewrites the damn programming constantly to get it up to speed with the calculations he needs someone ‘less advanced’ to do for him. Gifted doesn’t begin to describe him. We keep a separate module of computers just for him to rewrite because the rest of us can’t keep up with where he’s going.”

“Damn.”

“He doesn’t really talk to people,” Alona said with a shrug. “It took me two months working with him to get him to say good morning back to me. You must have made some kind of impression.”

Jared shook his head and sighed. “Not likely. But maybe it’s time I came down to the science labs to see you guys in action.”

Alona winked and Jeff laughed. “Knew you’d get your hands dirty sooner or later. The hard core scientists out there will never make it to your office and even if they do, it doesn’t show you anything. See them where they work. See them in their environment and it changes everything.”

**

The labs were set aside from the rest of the populace. Some were built into special communities where the scientists could watch their experiments under special conditions, while others were set in a large lab area that seemed to have communities of their own, certain types of scientists working elbow to elbow with each other.

At the largest section was a huge telescope that allowed them to see further into the cosmos. The entire room was set up to let the viewer move to the eyepiece as the telescope outside was moved into location. It was there he found Jensen, seething and, god help him for thinking it, beautiful.

“Who reset these calibrations?” He demanded of an older man. Jared didn’t know who he was but no one on the ship was there without being overly qualified. The competition was fierce to find a position there. 

The man mumbled something Jared couldn’t hear and Jensen sneered. “Yeah, Jenkinson wanted it moved but I told him no. He was well within the margin for his experiment but by resetting it you threw Hardson’s work 12 points into the margin and Florshi’s into the negative. That’s why I put my authorization on it. Damn it! Go talk to Florshi and pray to whatever you believe that you didn’t just ruin six months of his research.” 

He walked away from the cringing man and stood in front of one of the computers. With his hands on the monitor, Jensen stared up straight at Jared though he could see that he wasn’t aware of anything around them. Jared watched in fascination as Jensen’s eyes danced the way they had at the bar that night, adjusting the computer to whatever he wanted. 

The telescope outside shuddered, moving slightly to one side, a change that would have been unnoticeable if he hadn’t seen it move. It settled into position and then Jared found himself caught in Jensen’s intense focus. 

His expression didn’t change but where there had been professional disdain before Jared could feel curiosity buried under a certain amount of annoyance. Jensen moved away from the computer and stood in front of him, arms crossed over his chest. “What do you need and who for?”

Jared looked at him in confusion for a minute.

“Which scientist do you work for?” Jensen demanded, his annoyance ratcheting up. “I don’t have time for someone else’s projects today so just tell me what you need.”

“I’m not here for anything.”

“Then why are you here?”

“I’m just observing.”

“Who the hell are you?”

“Jared Padalecki. I’m pretty sure we’ve had this conversation before.”

Jensen’s eyes blanked over and Jared pushed his casual observation of the man into a more focused intent. Curiosity was the sharpest feeling he got but there was something sickening in the back of his head, like the movement of a plane over too close ground and he had to take a deep breath to keep the momentary motion sickness at bay. 

When he looked up Jensen was back with him. “The system says you’re the new shrink. Come to check up on the geeks?”

Jared smiled because this time there wasn’t an animosity in his words. When Jensen’s eyes tracked movement across the room there was something fond in his thoughts even if it didn’t show on his face. “They said I wouldn’t meet half the staff if I didn’t come down here so I figured I better make a visit.”

“So you think we’re all sane enough to keep our jobs?” He asked with a smirk.

“Oh, I don’t know about sane, but you’ll do for now.”

Jensen was startled by his words and Jared decided he’d been enough of a distraction from Jensen’s work. “Stop by to see me anytime,” Jared said as he nodded, leaving the lab quickly.

He was surprised to be followed out by Jensen’s laughter.

**

Jared sat up In bed, surprised at the sudden rush of fear that filtered into his mind. The room was dark and Jared raised a hand, thankful of his secondary gift as he flipped the light switch from across the room. Standing at the foot of his bed was Jensen, wide eyed and the source of fear and confusion that had woken Jared.

“Jensen? Are you alright?”

“What the hell?” Jensen asked, his voice chocked with emotion that was rolling off him all too easily. 

“Jensen, what happened?” He asked as he kicked the blankets off his legs and moved to the foot of the bed where Jensen stood. 

“I was in the lab.”

“Yeah, then what happened?” He asked, coaxing Jensen to sit down on the edge of the bed. 

“I was here.”

“Yeah, you came to see me. Why? What happened at the lab Jensen?” It was alarming to see Jensen blinking away confusion. When he’d asked around he’d confirmed both Alona’s comments about him and Jensen’s. Jensen was brilliant beyond anything they’d ever come across. He was also so focused on the things in his head that he had a hard time connection with people. Hell, he had a hard time seeing them there in a lot of cases. He was open minded but out spoken, blunt and painful at times to the people that worked with him. No matter that he was literally the smartest man in the universe, the entire community around him seemed to take his attitude in stride and bent over backward to make sure he ate every day and that he was wearing the protective gear he needed or that he simply stopped to sleep every once and a while. Seeing Jensen floundering for words made something in Jared ache.

“There was nothing in between. I was in the lab. I couldn’t… it wasn’t working. The answer, it’s right there on the edge of my head-space and I couldn’t get it. And the next minute I was standing in a dark room with no warning.” Jensen’s eyes narrowed as he looked at Jared. “You’re a teleporter?”

“No,” Jared denied instantly. “I do have a second gift but its telekinesis.”

“Then how?”

“I don’t know. Are you sure nothing else is wrong? You look exhausted.” Jensen shrugged, but Jared kept on it. “When is the last time you slept?”

“I don’t actually sleep like most people.”

“Yeah I got that from your file, but you still need to sleep. When?”

“Three days maybe?”

“Lay back,” Jared said, pushing at Jensen’s shoulders.

“No, I have to get back,” he protested.

“You’ll wake up feeling better and your mind will be clear. You’re here now so just relax.”

As much as Jensen seemed to be fighting the idea Jared could already feel his mind shutting down. He was exhausted and as Jared pushed a second time, Jensen fell back across the bed. Jared pushed him into the right position, as Jensen toed his shoes off. When the blanket was pulled up around him, Jensen was already asleep.

Jared took a deep breath and looked at the sleeping form, smiling softly as he watched the hard lines of his face soften. He wanted nothing more than to press kisses to Jensen’s soft lips and feel the mingling of their breath but he took a step back. He was only human after all and Jensen was the most handsome man he’d ever come across, to the point of being beautiful, ethereal. He closed his eyes and took a deep breath. When he opened them he realized the biggest problem. Jensen Ackles was asleep in his bed. He could sleep on the couch in the other room and be a gentleman, but Jensen was the one that showed up in his bedroom at, he looked at the clock and groaned, four in the morning.

He crawled back onto the bed and slid under the covers. He turned to his side, away from Jensen to give them each some space but then Jensen was moving, spooning up and pulling Jared back into his chest. When Jensen, who was still dead asleep, had Jared where he wanted him, he sighed heavily and dropped his hand to rest on his hip. 

Jared never slept well with other people with him, the physical contact making it so much harder to keep his psychic distance, but he had barely shut his eyes when he was out for the night.

**

He woke the next morning alone. A note on the counter simply said, “thanks, J” and Jared found himself smiling fondly at the brevity of the note and the inability of it’s writer to say anything more. 

He got ready for work the same as usual though he’d slept a little late so he had to skip his morning run. He was grabbing lunch with Alona when he saw Jensen across the food court. Jensen waved awkwardly and Jared returned it, smiling at the rush of affection he felt from Jensen. 

“That was strange,” Alona said as she sipped her coffee. 

“Not the worst of it.”

“Oh no?”

“No,” and he regaled her with Jensen’s sudden appearance in his room, a mystery he still hadn’t figured out, to the note that he’d left behind. 

“We all figured he got laid last night.”

“What?”

“He was in such a good mood this morning,” Alona answered. “We figured he’d gone out after everyone cleared out. He does sometimes. I mean, for all his manners, his looks and the whole ‘just wanna get laid’ speech he has seems to work just fine for him.” She said with a smirk. “But that doesn’t appear to be the case.”

“I swear we just slept,” he said, holding his hands up at Alona’s speculative glance.

“I believe you. I just … have you talked to Jeff about this?”

“No, why?”

“You should. He said you were meeting this afternoon, right?” he nodded and she smiled. “Tell Jeff. He might have some insight.”

**

“Oh hell,” Jeff said, shaking his head as soon as Jared finished his story. “I figured Jensen was acting up for a reason but I figured it was one of the new scientists.”

“What are you talking about Jeff? Is Jensen in some sort of trouble?”

“No, no of course not. Alona was complaining about him becoming more emotional a few months back, more out of control than usual. Jensen is brilliant and they love him in the labs but they all walk a wide berth around him on a good day. He hasn’t had very many good days since you’ve been onboard.”

“You think he needs help?”

“I think he found it and doesn’t know how to accept it. Look, we both know that bonding sometimes occurs when one of the Gifted needs to be grounded. Jensen isn’t aware of it but he’s trying to ground himself.”

“So why is he showing up in my bedroom at four in the morning?”

Jeff just stared at him and then it all hit.

“Shit.”

Jeff let out a bark of a laugh and gave a shake of his head, still smiling as he spoke. “Tell me you didn’t think his oddities were just funny or engaging from the very beginning? I did the same with Alona, no matter how many times she doused me in water, I kept coming back for more until she let me take her to dinner.”

Jared dropped his head to the desk, letting it smack down a bit harder than necessary. Jeff didn’t stop talking though. “The thing is, we’ve long suspected that Jensen has a latent teleportation Gift. He thinks technopath is his secondary and that it takes the backseat to the rest of what he does, but that’s just Jensen’s brain. It isn’t really a Gift. Alona has found him walking around late at night though, where he shouldn’t be, half asleep and mumbling about needing something close by. He never seems to remember walking from place to place. We started tracking him and either he’s porting himself without realizing it, or he’s got someone close to him doing it to him.”

Jared felt the pressure at the back of his head increase and he took a deep breath, trying to ease out the tension. “I don’t have the time or patience to comfort an egotistical technopath whose only understanding of relationships comes from bar hook ups.”

Jeff laughed again and Jared politely gave him the finger. “Maybe you don’t, but it looks like he set his sights on you and somewhere along the line, your psyche agreed.”

**

When Jensen showed up at the park the next night when Jared was going to eat he felt the disorientation from the technopath but it wasn’t until he locked eyes with Jared that he felt fear. “Jensen?”

“I uh…,” he licked his lips and took a deep breath before turning to walk away. “I need to eat.”

Jared wanted to bang his head against something but he found himself following Jensen into a place he’d never been before. He took a seat next to Jensen at the bar and neither said anything when Jared’s menu wouldn’t work and Jensen put his hand out on it to call it up for him. 

Jared found himself thinking more and more about Jeff’s words, about how his own mind had accepted some sort of connection to the technopath before he’d been aware that it was even an option. He looked at Jensen out of the corner of his eye, his face concentrating on the meal in front of him so hard it was obvious he was trying not to look at Jared.

Neither spoke through the meal and when Jensen was done he got up and moved away without even saying goodbye.

“Jensen,” Jared stopped him with just the name and it was wide eyes fear, that same fear he’d felt when Jensen showed up in his bedroom, that greeted him in those green eyes. “You know where I am, day or night, if you need me.”

There. It was probably as close to opening himself up as Jensen would be able to take just yet. It was the most Jared was willing to say anyway. Jensen swallowed hard before turning and leaving. Jared counted it a win.

**

The next time Jared walked out of his shower to find Jensen sitting on his couch, fast asleep. It was kind of cute, but Jared was sure it was just a coincidence he’d fallen asleep on his shirt. 

**

Three weeks later he woke to the smell of bacon and eggs. When he crawled out of bed and found Jensen in the kitchen he just accepted the mug of coffee that was handed to him. Jensen dished out the food and they ate quietly, though Jensen sat close enough that their shoulders brushed as they ate.

“You’re amazingly calm about this,” Jensen said with a soft sigh as he pushed his plate back.

“What?”

Jensen smirked. “I talked to Alona. Or, she talked to me.”

Jared nodded. “You already knew about the teleportation thing, right?”

“Yeah.”

“And the bond.”

Jensen shrugged. “My parents were bound.”

“You just didn’t bother to tell anyone?” Jared tried to dig into Jensen’s thinking a little, to try to understand what about the bond had him so terrified.

“Figured if I ignored it I could just get along without it you know.”

Without Jared. He knew that was what Jensen was saying, that he didn’t want that sort of entanglement, that sort of a distraction in his life. Jared sighed. 

“Look, this is fine. I don’t mind you showing up, though I could deal better if you didn’t port into my bedroom again.”

Jensen looked a bit sheepish at that but he got up, clearing the plates as he did. “I can’t control it. When I port I mean. It only happens when I’m really tired or frustrated and I just … show up wherever I need to be.”

“And today you needed to make me breakfast?”

“I needed to see you, okay? You just said it wasn’t a big deal so why is it a big deal now?”

“It’s not. I just don’t understand what you’re looking for here.”

“It,” the words were hard coming and Jared just waited him out, “calms me to see you. When I get worked up and I can’t get my head around something I see you and I feel better.”

“Did you port into my kitchen or my bedroom again?”

Jensen just glared and Jared knew the answer to that already. Just like he knew the answer to everything else he could ask, that he should ask. He didn’t need to though, didn’t need to wonder about Jensen’s intentions and what it could all mean. He could feel how terrified Jensen was of this because it felt exactly like what Jared was feeling; the acceptance, the need to just be with the one person who mattered most. 

He grabbed Jensen by the hand and pulled him into the bedroom, ignoring his initial protest until Jensen was shoved gently back against the bed. It was only then that he realized he was only wearing his boxer briefs and that Jensen’s shirt was in a pile at the floor beside his bed. Along with his socks and shoes. 

“Son of a bitch, you slipped into my bed last night and didn’t wake me!” It wasn’t anger but exasperation that drove him forward, his lips crashing into Jensen’s.

Jensen’s arms wrapped around him tight and then they were falling onto the bed. They quickly got rid of the rest of their clothes and Jared was nearly ready to lose it when he felt Jensen’s naked body pressing down into him. 

“Jensen,” he hissed his name as Jensen lined their cocks up just right and thrust down. Jensen’s throaty laugh caught him off guard and he looked up to see the way his eyes crinkled at the edge, to see his usual intense focus warmed to something affectionate and loving.

Jensen leaned in, kissing Jared softly. “Need this Jared,” he whispered against his mouth and then he was sitting up, taking Jared in hand and sliding himself down Jared’s cock. 

“Fuck Jen, you,” he couldn’t say the rest as he brought his hands up to Jensen’s waist trying to ease his way down but holy hell he was already stretched open and wet inside. 

When he was fully seated in Jared’s lap he brought their lips together again, taking a minute to adjust. “Don’t sleep like other people. Got so damn horny sleeping next to you last night though. Hit the shower when I woke up,” he bit Jared’s bottom lip and Jared groaned as Jensen shifted slightly. “Fucked myself hard thinking about you, wishing you’d wake the fuck up and join me.”

“Could have asked.” Jared said, thrusting up into the amazing heat of his lover’s body.

“Empath, you’re supposed to know these things.”

“You’re the smartest man in the universe and you couldn’t figure out I needed to hear it from you?”

Jensen threw his head back then, arching his back as he shifted his hips, starting to move over Jared’s body. Words were forgotten then as they moved with one another, until Jared couldn’t stop himself. He took Jensen’s cock in hand, stroking him hard and fast.

He reached out his other senses and focused on Jensen and when he felt Jensen’s body give in to it, felt Jensen’s come splash hot and thick over his stomach, his own orgasm crashed in and he spilled into his lover’s body.

Jensen took a shuddered breath and dropped until he was resting on Jared’s chest. Jared wrapped his arms around him, too content to move.

He wasn’t sure how long they laid there but then his communication link was buzzing and he frowned. “Padalecki,” he answered it with a frown.

“Do you have my scientist?” Alona demanded. He could hear the fear in her voice and he took a deep breath. He should have known someone would have noticed if Jensen went missing from the labs for more than a few hours. 

“I’m right here,” Jensen said to the com. “And I’m taking the day off.”

“You are?” Alona asked in surprised.

“I am.”

“You are?” Jared asked.

Jensen smiled as he looked up from where his head was resting on Jared’s shoulder. “Yes and you are too.”

“Should I give my husband a reason why his psychologist is taking a day off?”

“You know how that bond thing works Alona. About time we figured it out on our own.”

He heard the small gasp from Alona and Jared let out a deep laugh. Jared turned the com off and stared at Jensen. He cupped his face and kissed him lightly, watching with delight as Jensen simply opened for him.

“Gonna take care of you Jensen,” he promised as Jensen settled back against his shoulder, apparently ready for a nap.

“Already do,” he said softly. “Just … stop building dogs in my brain.”

“What?” Jared asked with a laugh.

“You got those puppy dog eyes and sometimes ... I build things in my head Jared, like other people have daydreams I have virtual reality in my head and you keep making these white picket fences show up and now there are dogs. I like cats Jared.”

“I don’t know if we can continue if you don’t like dogs.”

“Well…” Jensen looked at him for a minute and his eyes were suddenly moving again, his brain accessing something Jared couldn’t ever begin to understand. “Alright, two dogs but I get to keep my cat.”

“I guess we can work with that.”

Jensen sighed as he settled again. “You don’t get frightened by me.”

“Why would I?”

“Lots of people do. They get intimidated. They don’t think they can keep up with me.”

Jared nodded, understanding a little better now. He was no match for Jensen’s intellect, there was no one that was truthfully, but then Jensen was certainly no match for Jared’s empathy and maybe that was why this worked. Other people tried to impress Jensen’s mind but Jared had always been looking for something else. Jensen’s heart. 

Jared kissed his temple and held him a little closer. “Never gonna keep up with you Jen,” he said softly. “Just gonna wait for you to remember where to race home to when you’re done.”

Jensen’s smile was slow and sleepy. “Huh, guess they were right.”

“What’s that?”

“Home is where the heart is.”

**Author's Note:**

> This was written for the spn_j2_xmas 2011 gift exchange on livejournal. Some of the recipients likes were J2 Space AU, superpowers (kinda), Bottom Jensen, first time, nerdy!Jensen, socially inept!Jensen, and I threw in a little bit about cats vs. dogs.


End file.
